Technical Field
The present invention relates to automatic sliding door systems.
Background of the Invention
Retail stores in the United States commonly use automatic sliding doors, which consist of a right, door and a left door that slide along a sliding plane from a sliding closed position to a sliding open position when, for example, a motion sensor detects a shopper or employee. Fire code regulations generally require that such doors break open outward to allow egress of shoppers or employees from the store in the event of a fire. Such sliding doors typically only break open outward—not inward. While such systems are generally designed for the safety of pedestrian traffic, the movement of large or heavily loaded equipment often puts the door at risk of being damaged especially when moving such equipment into the store. In addition, in such prior systems, when a door breaks open outward, the bottom corner of the door that meets the other door when the doors are closed (also referred to as the nose) drops on the ground. This can be problematic in that the doors, which are heavy, must be raised to reset the normal sliding operation of the doors.
Thus, there is a need for sliding door systems that break outward and inward. There is also a need for sliding door systems that break outward and inward and can be quickly reset to the normal sliding operation of the doors.